AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS RIVERS:Secretary Salazar to Establish National Blueways Initiative

Announcement of First National Blueway Planned in Hartford

05/22/2012

HARTFORD, CT. – On Thursday, May 24, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will travel to Hartford to join federal, state, and local leaders and members of the conservation community to announce the National Blueways Initiative. Secretary Salazar will also name the Connecticut River Watershed as the nation’s first National Blueway. The event is open to the public.

The event is part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Rivers Initiative to establish a community-driven conservation and recreation agenda for the 21st century. Thursday’s designation will recognize the collaborative leadership of more than 40 partner organizations under the umbrella of the Friends of the Silvio O. Conte Refuge and the cumulative successes of the Connecticut River Watershed Council, states, and many other partners. The sustained, landscape-level efforts by public and private partners to conserve and restore the river and watershed for wildlife, people, and outdoor recreation provide an exemplary model for future National Blueways.